14 dead, 40 hurt after tanker crashes into bus near manor

Fourteen people were killed and 40 others injured when a speeding tanker crashed into a luxury bus at Medvan Ghat on the Mumbai-Ahmeda-bad highway early on Wednesday. Most of the passengers in the bus are from Mumbai, while some are from Ahmedabad and Rajasthan. The site where the accident took place tops the list of top 10 killer spots on national highways in Maharashtra.

The mishap took place around 6.30am at a steep turn between Charoti and Manor villages in Thane district. “The driver was speeding while going down the ghat, while the bus was climbing up. We suspect that the tanker driver lost control, crashed into the road divider and crossed over to the Mumbai-bound stretch, where it collided with the bus,” said Bharat Chowdhary, assistant inspector, Kasa police station. “The impact was so powerful that the bus overturned.”

While the tanker driver, Ram Yadav, 30, is dead, the cleaner has sustained grievous injuries and has been admitted to Bhagwati hospital. The bus was heading to Mumbai from Ahme-dabad, while the tanker, which was ferrying chemicals, was on its way to Gujarat from Mulund.

Passersby saw the mangled vehicles and called the police control room, following which rescue work was initiated. The police, with the help of locals, pulled out passengers from the bus.

“The deceased include eight men, five women and one child. The injured were taken to Kasa hospital and Thane civil hospital, among others. Those with grievous injuries have been shifted to Bhagwati and KEM hospitals in Mumbai,” Chowdhary said.

“The tanker was not over-loaded, but we have seized it to check if it was adequately maintained. Once the Regional Transport Office inspection is done, we will know if the accident occurred because of human error or mechanical failure,” an officer said, requesting anonymity.